ALTON - Jason Harrison is a self-described “community guy.”
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Harrison, one of six candidates for the Alton Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education, shared more about who he is and what he stands for. He noted that he is very involved in the Riverbend community already, and he hopes to join the school board to do more for local kids and families.
“What makes me able to add value is my experience, my experience in the community where I grew up to where I made it to now, the school I attended — my children are still in school there — my resume, if I really had to sum it up,” Harrison said. “What I mean with that in totality is, I might ask you to vote for me for something I will do, and you’ve never seen what I have done. I’m telling you what I will do, and you can base it off my past experiences.”
Harrison owns a hospitality firm and a couple of food trucks in the Riverbend region. He is the vice president of the Alton chapter of the NAACP, sits on the Foundation Board, and serves as the mission president at Deliverance Temple. He also has six children, three of whom currently attend Alton schools.
Harrison credits ACUSD11 and the J.B. Johnson Center for the “birth of [his] entrepreneurship.” As a business owner, Harrison has created several programs to employ Alton High School students.
He said he heard “the community’s cry” for transparency from the school board, which motivated him to run for the school board seat. He believes his knowledge of AI and technology can help the board increase their communications with the community.
“I believe sometimes people can get so stuck in the work that they forget to even talk about the work that they’re doing or let people know and keep interest,” he explained. “Sometimes we forget about those who can’t make it to board meetings or those who can’t make it to the school hearings. I believe that I can bring value to try to help them get that word out to the community on what we’re doing.”
Harrison also voiced concerns about safety and making sure every student, educator and community member feels heard. He pointed to “alarming” disparities in discipline, including data that shows students of color are often punished more harshly and frequently than white students.
“I know one former board member stated that no one wants to expel these children,” he said. “That might so much be the reality. But the truth is, someone is, and not only are they expelling them, it’s also unfair practices being used while they’re doing it, because the data shows it.”
He added that he is interested in seeing a plan to address the achievement gap — a gap between how students of color perform on standardized tests versus white students — and plans to increase communication with the community.
“We should be overinformed. We should be overcommunicating. That’s what I really believe in,” he added. “Going into session, look at this data, and I’m not trying to bring shame or anything on anyone else, but the numbers don’t lie. But what is the actionable plan? These are the numbers, but what is the actual plan to help with this?”
As Harrison prepares for the consolidated election on April 1, 2025, he hopes people will consider voting for him.
This is the fourth of a series of six articles about the Alton Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education candidates.
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